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Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has revealed the details for Pantheon, the park's new for 2020 multi-launch Intamin roller coaster.

Themed around ancient gods including Minerva, Pluto, Mercury, Neptune and Jupiter, the ride is being billed as "North America's fastest multi-launch coaster" with a top speed of 72.5 miles per hour. The ride will be located as a part of Fiesta Italia and have a maximum height of 180 feet above the ground, which I believe is when the ride drops down toward the Rhine River.

This layout was provided by the park and while it's not the most clear due to the colors, you can get an idea of Pantheon's layout. The ride starts with a 36 mile per hour launch up into a twisted inversion that drops down into a tight helix. Trains then head past a switch track to another launch, at 50 miles per hour, climbing up a giant top hat, only to fall back and be launched backward at 61 miles per hour.

The trains climb another giant vertical spike, eventually falling down and being launched a 4th time at 67 miles per hour, up over the twisting top hat and then down a 95 degree drop toward the river. The rest of the layout includes over banked turns and an inverted air-time hill, the ride's 2nd and final inversion.

BGW Fans reports that the ride is 3,328 feet long, or around 4,200 feet long if you count the track that is moved over more than once. Pantheon will have two trains, each seating 20 riders at a time.

There is no official point of view video out just yet, but Busch Gardens Williamsburg did release this teaser video for the ride's announcement:

Saturday, July 27, 2019

We previously took a look at the set up of Dorney Park's Grand Carnivale, a must-see special event currently running at the the park nightly through August 11th, so now it's time to dig into all the fun that's taking place each day.

The park is decorated from top to bottom from the main entrance all the way to the area surrounding White Water Landing's splash pool. Grand Carnivale is the ultimate international celebration blended with a Mardi Gras feel, and each of the countries being celebrated have their own section within that area.

Each area also has their own decorations, special activities, live entertainment, and a food stand offering unique treats and beverages. To say the top part of Dorney Park looks impressive is an understatement in my opinion, the level of decorations and fun that is packed into the area is top notch. The entire event is unlike anything that Dorney Park has ever done before, and they're pulling it off wonderfully.

This map, direct from the park, gives an idea of what I'm talking about. You'll also note that in addition to the themed sections (Italy, India, China, France and Germany) there is also a parade route, we'll get to that in just a bit. The fun kicks off at 5 pm with an opening ceremony with the King and Queen of Grand Carnivale, after which all the live entertainment, activities and food service begins.

Mixed into all the fun is an Adventure Club Challenge, where visitors can stop in at each country (above is the Italy check in) while on a trek around the globe. The club challenge comes with a guide book that walks you though the process of solving "clever clues and mind-bending puzzles" in order to gain admittance to the Club. There's also craft areas within each country where you can create a variety of items themed to each land, and you can even mail out postcards while on your travels.

Live entertainment is a huge portion of Grand Carnivale, and during the event there is something going on pretty much everywhere you turn. Each country has their own stage and there are shows scheduled on each on a rotating basis, which makes it much easier to catch them all if you plan it right.

Indian Drummers, aerialists in China, authentic French songs being performed... there's a big mix of shows to catch during Grand Carnivale. And they're not hard to find, something I've noted about Dorney Park's version of Grand Carnivale is that it is a bit more condensed than at some of the larger Cedar Far parks... and I think it really works in their favor. You can walk from one performance stage to another in about 30 seconds, very helpful when exploring.

Another highlight was the Oomph Delics, which performed in the Germany area. The music is both fun and feels kind of silly, but it had people dancing all over the midway. A ton of fun and the performers have a great sense of humor.

Just fast forwarding a bit, the end of the night features another large production on the giant stage the park built for Grand Carnivale, located just behind the Antique Carousel. Hot Summer Nights is the park's current live show that can be seen toward the end of the evening. It's a great production that keeps the vibe of the party going strong.

I also have to note that the infrastructure that Dorney Park added to the Main Midway area to accommodate all the lighting and music required for Grand Carnivale is paying off big time. The park looks beautiful all lit up, with twinkling lights in the trees and bright colors everywhere. I hope the park takes full advantage of the set up for other events, such as Haunt and possibly more in the future.

Around 8:30 the Spectacle of Color Parade begins, which is also something that the park has never featured before. This isn't just a marching band style parade, this is on a much grander scale. There's over 100 costumed performers in the parade, an original soundtrack (which you will wake up with in your head the next day!) and custom designed floats - and beads, LOTS of beads!

The parade is beautiful and full of energy, brightly lit and best viewed after the sun has set. With the days getting a bit shorter now, that's easier and I suggest watching the parade near the end of its route on the Main Midway to get the best views.

There's a giant float that represents each of the featured countries, with plenty of performers (like the Can-Can girls just before the France section in the above photo). Each one seems more impressive than the previous one, and at the end are three floats that feature lucky families that signed up to take a ride and throw out a ridiculous amount of beads.

The Spectacle of Color Parade has three performance points during a usual evening, one near the Wild Mouse, and two on the Main Midway, one on each side as it travels up and back down it. That's when the parade becomes interactive, as the performers invite guests to dance with them, and some of the floats have interactive elements. For instance, the India float is an elephant made of drums, and kids get to help make some noise during the stops. It's a great way to involve the crowd!

All the fun will probably have everyone rather hungry, and Grand Carnivale is prepared for that. As we said there is a food location for each country, each serving several dishes authentic to their nation. There are 15 in all to try, so make sure you're hungry! The tastings can be purchased individually but it makes a lot more sense to get a lanyard for $30 that lets you try six items. From savory to sweet, there's something for everyone!

As the night continues there is continue entertainment on the main stage, several times there was a super high-energy DJ who kept things lively and fun. Many of the parade floats will park in the area for photos to be taken, and all the parade's performers come out and dance and interact with the crowd. The street party is a wonderful way to wind down the night. And watch the skies for a special treat at the very end of the night on weekend days!

If you haven't already checked out Grand Carnivale, I suggest you make it a top priority to get to the park and take in all the fun! The event runs every evening (so long as the weather allows) now through August 11th!

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Today was Hersheypark's big 2020 roller coaster announcement, when Candymonium was officially revealed to the world. A centerpiece to the park's massive new Chocolatetown development, Candymonium will be a Bolliger & Mabillard hyper coaster that's completely themed to Hershey's candies from head to toe.

Candymonium will make its presence known soon after visitors enter the park's new entrance in 2020, with chocolate brown track and silver supports rising to a height of 210 feet over the park. That height will make it Hersheypark's tallest roller coaster to date, and as the park's 15th coaster (by their count which includes a water coaster), they will have the most coasters in any park in the Northeast.

The coaster will feature a candy-themed station filled with popular Hershey characters and bright colors. The park says it will be their "most immersive coaster station to date," with "extensive theming." Each of the trains will be themed to a popular candy, including Twizzlers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey's Kisses. After the ride's first drop the trains will plunge downward at a top speed of 76 miles per hour. A large air-time hill will follow, with a horseshoe turnaround after that. There will be a total of 7 air-time hills throughout the 4,636 feet of track.

The ride's path will cut directly into the new space recently acquired by the park, covering 7 acres in total. Other design elements include a 123 degree Hammerhead Curve and a Panoramic Banked Curve that surrounds a central fountain in Chocolatetown. The ride time is estimated to be 2 minutes and 26 seconds, and Candymonium will have a 54 inch height requirement.

The park also released this preview video of the coaster, check it out below!

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park, located adjacent to Six Flags Great Adventure, has opened their new for 2019 addition, named Calypso Springs. The massive addition is the biggest the park has opened since it first debuted in 2000.

This aerial photo shows off all that Calypso Springs has to offer. The new area features a relaxing - and huge, to the tune of 100,000 gallons - pool and activity area. It utilizes multiple zero depth entry areas that are just like a beach, and great for younger visitors to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.

The area around Calypso Springs has also been renovated to feature a large open lounge deck capable of being 'home base' for many visitors while they spend their day at the park. With plenty of lounge chairs and giant umbrellas, visitors are sure to find plenty of relaxation with the addition.

Calypso Springs features a giant "obelisk-style" fountain at its center, which has a spontaneously erupting geyser and water pouring off its sides. Guests are naturally drawn to the obelisk in the center of the pool, though many will simply enjoy hanging out in the water.

"Hurricane Harbor is an industry leader with the biggest and best water slides and thrilling, interactive family attractions. This is the perfect time to debut our largest new addition to date with Calypso Springs Its enormous new pool, expansive lounge deck and dining area offer the best place in the region to cool off, play and relax Six Flags style with family and friends,” said Six Flags Great Adventure President John Winkler.

The project also came with a brand new dining location within Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, and there are even Bimini shades available for rental in the area.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Holiday World has started teasing their new addition for 2020, which appears to be jungle cat themed. Is it for the theme park or water park? We can't be sure at the moment, however the water park is called Splashin' Safari, so a jungle cat theme seems a perfect one for something new there.

The images here are from the park's teasers, which make me think that whatever is coming might be somewhat thrilling. The top image instructs us to "hold tight," probably not only for the upcoming announcement but also while on the ride, and an e-mail from the park says the announcement will be a "blast."

Granted there are a lot of different thrilling water park attractions out there these days that could arrive, and Splashin' Safari is well known for their water roller coasters as well. It's also worth pointing out that the park removed Pilgrims Plunge (later known as Giraffica and folded into the water park) with no replacement, so perhaps we'll see that area redeveloped in 2020? You never know, the park could even use some of the ride's lagoon for something new.

Either way we won't have to wait all that long, as the park will be making their announcement on August 6th at noon. Visitors to the park that day can attend the announcement and be one of the first to find out all the details!

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Dorney Park has received approval to remove Island Water Works, a water fun house in Wildwater Kingdom, with a better and more modern model in 2020.

The local news covered the approval at the meeting, here is a link, but it doesn't contain a lot of details. It does quote the park's General Manager as saying the new project reflects an "updated version" of the water fun house. We can assume it will be built on the location of the current fun house, I think, and no manufacturer was confirmed yet. Cedar Far has used WhiteWater for similar projects throughout the chain in the past.

Island Water Works sits on an island due to a lazy river surrounding it, the entire area was once a mini-golf course way back when. In this aerial you can see that there is space around it for a potential bigger model to be installed, especially if they snatch up some of the the lounge areas that are on two sides of it.

The attraction opened in 1998, the same time the whole 'island' was redeveloped from a mini-golf course. It was created by SCS Interactive and has 70 "water gags" along with two giant tipping buckets that can be filled faster through water-blaster teamwork.

As always, we'll look forward to the park's announcement later this summer for more details, but if you're an avid fan of Island Water Works you might want to go visit while you can!

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

We've been patiently waiting for the "ultimate cultural celebration" that is Grand Carnivale to premier at Dorney Park, which happens Saturday, July 20th, and now we're only a few days away! After getting a taste of the festivities at a couple other Cedar Fair parks, our anticipation of the event has hit a true peak. To that end we checked out the park as they are in their final days of preparation for Grand Carnivale in order to give a preview of the event to our readers.

Walking up to the park, Grand Carnivale makes itself known immediately. The main entrance plaza is decked out in its finest, with giant beads, colorful flags and special signage all over.

The fun continues immediately once you enter the park, with decorations and signage present all over. Unlike we saw during the celebration at Kings Dominion and Kings Island, Dorney Park's Grand Carnivale is presented in a more condensed area, a benefit in my book. The amount of decorations the park has already put in place along the main midway is giving the area a bright and shimmering appearance - there's seriously something to look at no matter which way you turn.

Entertainment is a central part of Grand Carnivale, and there are separate stages and performance areas found all over. This main one is located on the backside of the Antique Carousel, but stages can be found stretching all the way to bordering White Water Landing's lagoon.

The above stage is by far the largest and most elaborate that the park has created, and it's impressive all on its own! It still isn't totally finished, but when it is it will be the location of the Grand Carnivale Opening Ceremony, featuring the King & Queen of Carnivale. That performance will officially start the festivities, including the opening of food and craft tents, the Adventure Club and more.

Each of the countries being celebrated during Grand Carnivale (China, France, Germany, India and Italy) have their own food stand. This is Italy's which is located just beyond the Antique Carousel. Each of the countries attractions, entertainment and food are clustered together, with decorations and theming throughout. As you move down the Main Midway you encounter other countries, next is China, then India, and France and Germany share the area in front of White Water Landing's lagoon.

The stage that went up over the former water fountain/planter looks like it is going to be homebase for the entertainment related to India. You can see some new decorations that have been added to this area to liven up the stage a bit. It was a hot day at the park when I took these photos and the stage was still serving as a nice place to rest.

Also scattered throughout each of the themed sections are Adventure Club stands. Visitors can partake in the Adventure Club Challenge, which is filled with clues and puzzles that can be solved in order to gain acceptance to the club. There will be printed Adventure Club guides available at the stands that tell you where to go, and you can start at any country. Each task that is completed earns a stamp in their guide book, and completing all tasks earns you an Adventure Club Badge.

Here are some shots of the far side of the Grand Carnivale celebration, sorry the sun wasn't really agreeing with me taking photos! You can see many food tents set up in the area for Germany and France around here, along with tons of new seating. There's actually new seating located all along the walkways for guests to sit and eat and relax.

The food is an important part of Grand Carnivale, with each country offering several tastings. Groups of six tastings can be purchased for $30, or each item can be purchased on its own. The items offered all correspond to the host country, with authentic foods and desserts offered at each. There are a lot of tasty sounding items, such as China's Emperor's Chinese Spare Ribs, complete with a sweet sticky sauce, and Italy's Roman Suppli, which are fried rice balls stuffed with cheese and pepper and doused in marinara.

Those with a sweet tooth will love the Banana Baji, a batter dipped fried banana in India, Apple Strudel from Germany, and France's Profiteroles, which are delicate cream puffs, among others.

As covered earlier each area has their own entertainment stage or area, this one here belongs to France. Shows are varied with a ton of performers, again each themed to their home country. For instance, Germany will have polka and accordion players, France will have mimes and magic, and Italy will have authentic puppetry performances. There's going to be a ton of live entertainment all throughout the evening, so be sure to look for different performances while you're at the park.

When these photos were taken the park was already heavily decorated, but there was still a lot more to come. This look inside the Good Time Theater shows that there was still an abundance of decorations that would be heading into the park before the premiere. And this was only part of what still needed to go out! I can't wait to see the finished product.

The Theater is also a massive staging area for the performers in Grand Carnivale, and there are a lot of them no question. This rack is holding onto the fancy head pieces that just some of the performers wear, all bright, colorful and full of energy.

All those performers need costumes to put on a good show, and the Theater is also the holding area for those. There are racks and racks of outfits in this area, these photos only show some of them. They looked like they were clustered by country, and all of them were even more elaborate than I expected.

There is one major component of Grand Carnivale that we haven't covered yet, and that is the Spectacle of Color Parade. Taking place each evening as the sun sets, the parade features extravagantly decorated floats, street performers, and a unique soundtrack created specially for it.

During my visit to the park the temporary staging area for the parade, located outside the gates beyond Good Time Theater, had a few of the floats already on property. Above is a giant elephant made of drums that guests and performers can both enjoy.

Here is the giant Jules Verne Airship, which will glow brilliantly in the dark (all the floats will, for that matter). The lighting of the photo makes it hard to tell, but the airship is covered in lights. There will be a total of 9 floats in the Spectacle of Color Parade and it will last in the neighborhood of 30 minutes.

Here we have the parade's lead float, known as the King of Carnivale. That's because this guy is the king, as if that wasn't obvious from the crown. The main section of this float also contains a small trampoline that performers stay on during the route, bouncing and entertaining the crowd as they go.

While on the subject of the parade's route, it will begin at the Good Time Theater, travel through Planet Snoopy, head around the Wild Mouse and travel down the Main Midway and back. There will be a few parade stops during the route where performers can interact with park guests, since all the floats have interactive elements built into them.

In the end each of the 5 featured countries will have their own dedicated float, plus the King in the lead, and three traditional Mardi Gras-styled floats in the back. Each day some lucky park guests will be picked to ride these floats, and yes, there will be beads thrown!

At the end of the parade several of the floats will remain on the midway to add to the environment as the Grand Carnivale Street Party begins. The festivities go until the park closes, with even more special live entertainment, booming music, a dance party, special lighting and more.

An event of this level has never been done at Dorney Park before to my knowledge, and we think the crowds are going to be amazed at all it has to offer. Grand Carnivale at Dorney Park starts this Saturday, July 20th, and will run each night through August 11th. See you there!

Monday, July 15, 2019

Hersheypark will announce their brand new roller coaster, opening in 2020, on July 24th and you can be there to see it! The park will allow the first 500 guests in line at 10:30 am at the Chevrolet Music Box Theatre inside to watch the announcement live. The park also shared the above photo, blurry we know, but quite obviously a view from the front seat of the car looking down the first drop toward the ground.

The ride has been well known about for a while now, and is expected to be a B&M Hyper Coaster themed around Hershey's candies. We don't know the exact statistics of the attraction though, those will certainly come when the park announces their 15th roller coaster in just over a week.

You can get a refresher on the layout of the new coaster in many of the images that Hersheypark has shared of Chocolatetown, for instance the one above shows the entire layout. True to B&M hyper style, the ride features a tall first drop, several large air-time hills, and a helix around a water fountain that is central to the park's new entrance.

Just in the past week the ride has actually gone vertical, with the track for the final part of the brake run being installed. To get a view of the chocolate brown track in place, check out this video.

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